Why having more sex could help you have a healthier pregnancy

Anyone looking to have a baby may want to increase the amount of sex they're having with their partner, after a fertility expert suggested this could lead to a healthier pregnancy...

Writing in The Conversation, Sarah Robertson, Professor and Director of the Robinson Research Institute at the University of Adelaide, explained how regular sex before conception has been linked to a reduced risk of developing pre-eclampsia.

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As the Daily Mailreports, the condition can lead to serious complications, including growth issues for the unborn baby, and can be life-threatening in rare cases.

'Preeclampsia is more common when there has been limited sexual contact with the father before pregnancy is conceived, and is associated with insufficient establishment of immune tolerance in the mother,' Professor Robertson wrote.

It looks like the length of time during which couples have sex regularly before conception is key, as studies have shown that preeclampsia is more common in women who have not been making love regularly with their partner before getting pregnant.

'Women with less than three months' sexual activity with the conceiving partner had a 13 per cent chance of preeclampsia, more than double the average occurrence,' Professor Robertson said.

'Among the few women who conceived on the first sexual contact with the father, the chance of preeclampsia was 22 per cent, three times higher than the average. Low birth weight babies were also more common in this group.'

It seems that intercourse may serve as a form of 'biological communication', she added, revealing that sperm may contain components that subtly affect a woman's immune system, helping to reduce her likelihood of developing preeclampsia.

So, there you have it, if you have been trying to get pregnant for a little while, then there may well be a silver lining!